SPECIAL FEATURE
Geography
for imports of all sorts. The Richards Bay Coal Terminal exports massive quantities of coal while the Port of Durban is the busiest port in Africa. However, planners want to massively increase the economic benefits that the ocean can bring. An Oceans Economy Review Workshop has come up with a range of sub-sectors that can help grow the provincial economy and invite foreign direct investment: • Marine transport and manufacturing • Offshore oil and gas exploration • Aquaculture • Marine protection and ocean governance • Small harbours • Coastal and marine tourism. Strategies to grow the Oceans Economy dovetail with ongoing projects to boost the capacity of the province’s ports and to explore for gas and oil in the Indian Ocean. If oil rigs were to start visiting the KZN coastline on a regular basis, the shiprepair industry would grow exponentially. The Oceans Economy is one of the focus areas that has been chosen by national government to be part of Operation Phakisa, a focused, goaldriven attempt to jump-start a specific economic sector. Overall, Phakisa intends creating a million jobs by 2033 and injecting R177-billion into national GDP. The decision to build a cruise-ship terminal at the Port of Durban is a good example of the kind of decision that is in line with an “Oceans Economy” approach.
KWAZULU-NATAL BUSINESS 2020/21
The mixed topography of the province allows for varied agriculture, animal husbandry and horticulture. The lowland area along the Indian Ocean coastline is made up of subtropical thickets and Afromontane forest. High humidity is experienced, especially in the far north, and this is a summer rainfall area. The centrally-located Midlands is on a grassland plateau among rolling hills. Temperatures generally get colder in the far west and northern reaches of the province. The mountainous area in the west – the Drakensberg – comprises solid walls of basalt and is the source of the region’s many strongly running rivers. Regular and heavy winter snowfalls support tourist enterprises. The Lubombo mountains in the north are granite formations that run in parallel.
Regions
KwaZulu-Natal has 10 district municipalities and a metropolitan municipality, the most of any province in South Africa. In economic terms, the province offers diverse opportunities.
Southern region This area is the province’s most populous. The city of Durban has experienced booms in sectors such as automotive, ICT, film and call centres. The promenade now reaches all the way to the
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